John McAnsh and Family

Last update 24 Feb, 2005

John was the son of Andrew McAnsh (Shepherd) and Jane Campbell (see family pages) as indicated on John's birth certificate and his marriage certificates with Catherine Gardiner and with Jessie Glennie. The 1881 census shows John's family, but John is not there with them. The census lists a "John McAnsh", born in St Ninians, as living near his family, working on a farm. Unfortunately, that John is listed as 30 years old. Other John McAnsh's also do not fit the known factors, such as age, although there is a 24 year old John listed as living with his sister Janet in Crieff. While probably not the correct person, it is likely this John is a relative.

John married Catherine Gardiner in Glasgow. However, Catherine was born in Bo'ness, a port near Polmont. Her father William Gardiner was a "herbalist", and her mother was Margaret Adair. William and Margaret were married in Co Antrim, Ireland, a part of Northern Ireland known for it's Scottish connections. In fact, it is thought that the Scots, or "Scotti" originated from this area, and migrated to Ireland around 500AD. In any case there was so much interaction that the term "Scots-Irish" was coined to describe the people whose heritage is from the NE corner of Ireland.

John was 23, and Catherine 22 when they married in 1885. Margaret Adair McAnsh was born in 18 March, 1888,  in Larbert, Stirling, and William Gardner McAnsh in born in 19th April, 1893 in Bridgeton, Glasgow, Lanark. The 1891 census shows John, Catherine and Maggie living in Falkirk, Falkirk, Stirling. On 13 Aug 1893, Catherine died in Bridgeton, Glasgow.

The family seems to have lived in the area for many years. Maggie was born in Larbert, and so was her uncle Andrew. Yet her grandparents seem to have lived between Larbert, Falkirk, and St Ninians. John lived in Larbert, Glasgow, and Polmont.  

John was still in Glasgow when he married Jessie Glennie in Hutchestoun, Glasgow, on 27 April, 1894, a week after William's first birthday. On 25 Mar 1895, in Kelvin, Glasgow, Catherine was born at 169 Kent Rd. Isabella Raison McAnsh was born on 29 Dec 1897, in New Kilpatrick, Dumbarton. I've seen her middle name listed as Pearson, but think from the registration that this is incorrect. I'm not certain why she has this middle name, it is far less clear than Adair, or Gardner, both from ancestral surnames. In 1901, the census occured before Mary Ann was born. John, Jessie and all were living in Polmont, near Grangemouth. On the 18th July, 1901 Mary Ann was born in Falkirk, Stirling.

Mary Ann was also the name or one of John's sisters, so like Margaret could be considered a family name, though in some of the censuses, Mary Ann (John's sister) was written Marion. This brings us back to the variability of names. Throughout much of his life, John's surname was spelled "McAnsh", but on Catherine's death certificate it was "McCansh", and on the 1891 census it was "McAnish". Similarly, Catherine's Surname Gardiner was spelled Gardner when included in William's name. On Catherine's birth certificate, her mother's maiden surname was listed as "O'Dair", though on later documents where Catherine refers to her mother, and in Margaret's name, the spelling is "Adair". Spellings were just more flexible then, given both lack of use of documents as evidence in ordinary life, and the fact that literacy was less than universal. The further back we go, the more likely it is for names to be spelled on a "sounds like" basis.

The map below clearly shows the Falkirk area. Larbert is WNW of Falkirk, Polmont and Bo'ness to the East. Most of these are in Stirlingshire. Bo'Ness is actually in Linlithgowshire, or West Lothian. St Ninians is to the NNW, on the way to Stirling.

To the family of Andrew McAnsh.

Anyone who has any additional information regarding my family, please contact me:

I've done my best to communicate what I know of the family, and will continue to add to these pages as I find more.